


A Naughty Little Solswintermas

by fadewithfury (foxmoon), LostinFic



Category: Broadchurch, Secret Diary of a Call Girl (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Aphrodisiacs, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Future Fic, Mildly Dubious Consent, Science Fiction, Sex Pollen, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Tension, Tight Spaces
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 05:09:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9056776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxmoon/pseuds/fadewithfury, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostinFic/pseuds/LostinFic
Summary: DI Alec Hardy of Earthport Alpha is on a mission to save his informant, escort Hannah Baxter, from assassination. But the potent effects of a perfume throw a kink in his strategy, so Hannah is the one to save them both.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My inspiration for the design of the space station comes from a Star Trek design, which is found at the end of the chapter. It's hard to describe these things in such a short fic, so that might help. The inside I envision to be hollow, like a generational spaceship, where the structures are along the inside walls and people get around by flying vehicles. The top portion of the globe would allow in natural sunlight - filtered of course as though through the earth's atmosphere.
> 
> Given the trope, there is always a concern for dubious consent. It can be part of what makes people like this trope, but we have chosen to subvert it. As careful as we try to be, there may however be nuances we miss, so just wanted to give this heads up just in case.
> 
> This chapter is by me. Thank you to lostinfic, my wonderful companion in this project, for the beta.

_ Prologue  _

_ Humans have nearly completed the 1,500-year-long terraformation of Earth. As humanity awaits their return to their beloved ancestral planet, Earthport Alpha, an immense space station in Earth’s orbit, and her older sister, Lunaport, remain bustling centers of trade and commerce with countless star systems in the vicinity. The Mars Colony - well, that’s another story entirely. _

_ Humans keep memories of Earth alive with atmospheric simulations aboard the hollow central sphere of Earthport. As such, reverence for the turning of seasons prevails. Seasonal cycles were the kind of natural phenomenon that had been devastated as the planet grew hotter and its atmosphere unbreathable. It’s a way for humanity to connect to that most ancient part of themselves, and to never forget why it’s worth it to wait - for generations - to return.  _

_ Earthport Alpha has entered full winter simulation mode. The sprawling natural park in Sector Zero - located in the northern hemisphere of the station’s central globe, boasts a fresh blanket of snow. Colourful fairy lights sparkle from trees and lamp posts all throughout. The shops surrounding the park advertises heavily discounted products and spiced beverages to warm the soul. Hovering motorbikes and taxis zip around through the air above like little bees. Some things never change. _

_ Ancient texts name the holidays of this season many things, some that have been lost over the ages, and alien cultures brought their own interpretations to the mix over time. As a result, the prominent holiday of the winter season is known simply as Solstwintermas. _

 

_ /// _

 

_ 25th December, 4016 _

Detective Inspector Alec Hardy didn’t care much for Solstwintermas. He hated the name of it in his teeth, hated indiscriminate cheer, hated being cold. Sector Zero, where the immense park resided, hummed with people in a holiday frenzy. Little mistletoe bots flew about, and paused to hover over unsuspecting heads. He wanted to be in his flat, alone, with a warm mug of Pleiadian saroot tea. But he had a job to do: his friend, Hannah Baxter, was in grave danger. He would endure anything to keep her safe.

For three years, Hannah had provided him intel on the notorious trafficking ring, the Eridani Syndicate, a scourge of this region of the galaxy. Her career as an escort had its merits, aside from the obvious ones her clientele enjoyed. 

Often she would overhear things, whispers of illicit activity, coded conversations. Hardy would pose as a John to visit her and collect this information. Inevitably, they grew close, and often he’d linger. She had charmed him long ago with her warmth and humor. But he would never indulge. Business partners; strictly professional, and it was too important to risk. This relationship had led to the arrest of eight of the syndicate’s lieutenants to date. She did this in exchange for immunity from her own crime: ghosting. 

Hannah did not exist, as far as the lifeform monitoring system was concerned. Born without some ubiquitous nanoparticle--an exceedingly rare condition. The law required people like her to be on a registry. That was how they met, in fact. Now, without fear of arrest, she could go anywhere on the Earthport. No restrictions. Immune from curfew laws. If the wrong person knew this about her, it would be all too simple to make her disappear.

Her last intel report revealed plans to infiltrate the space port sector by sector during the night cycle on Solswintermas eve. Earthport police had been on high alert, which interfered with the Syndicate’s plot. According to a report from his DS, Ellie Miller, who worked the case at the market sector, Hannah had been discovered as the source of their plot’s downfall.

Hardy strode swiftly through the centre of the park, dodging snowball fights and couples in thick layers that meandered in his path like nobody existed but them. Dim sunlight filtered through the great dome that capped the center of Earthport. Oldworld-style lamp posts throughout the park sparked to life to compensate. He had very little time left to intervene. As he neared the checkpoint into Hannah’s sector, he sent a message to her wrist implant comm. 

_ I’m coming to take you to that pottery class. Grab your coat, it’s blustery out. _

He didn’t wait for her reply. She knew not to upon hearing their emergency phrase code. He flashed his police badge to the checkpoint official and pushed past the queue to make his way to the transport pods to Sector Three. He ground his teeth and glared at the vastness of space as the crowded glass-enclosed pod glided along its ion track to the outer sectors. Not even the promise of gazing at the brilliance of a blue and green Earth during the ride eased off his anxiety. At last, it came to a stop, and he full-on ran through the maze of corridors until he reached her flat.

A cursory glance around revealed nothing out of place. She lived right off from a communal area with shops and restaurants that looked like an ancient London city street. There were neighbours milling about, smoking omni whilst leaning against the rail to watch a musical performance in the square below. Nothing seemed unusual, but that wouldn’t last.

Hannah was ready at the door, bundled in a fur coat, before he even knocked. Her hair fell free around her shoulders in elegant waves, and sensual makeup enhanced her eyes and lips. He’d been present in the past as she’d transformed herself into the ‘fabulous but forgettable’ Belle. She’d talk to him over her shoulder at her vanity, ask him to help fasten the back of her dress. Sometimes he’d notice gooseflesh on her arms after.

Everything began to tilt around him, and he blinked to clear the sensation.

She cocked her head. “You all--”

“Let’s go.”

Hannah grasped his hand. His heart fluttered at her touch, even in such a dire situation. They hurried to the transport pod, all the while her fancy heels echoed along the corridor walls.

Once inside, the transport pod closed. They were alone, which rarely would be the case at this hour. Hardy became instantly suspicious, though there had been no one in the boarding area and most people seemed to have gathered for the concert. Either way, he kept his hand firmly wrapped around hers. 

“Take off those bloody shoes, Han. You’ll break your neck running.”

“But they go so well with this coat.”

“About that - don’t you have something a bit less conspicuous?” He eyed the golden fur draped around her shoulders.

“But it goes so well with the shoes.”

The corner of his mouth quirked at the mock pout she gave as she stepped out of the scarlet high heels. She reached down with her free hand to pick them up, and her playful expression shifted to worry as she stared out at Earth beyond their reflections.

“You were in the market sector earlier,” he said.

“Yes, how’d you know?”

Her voice sent a shiver down his back, and he zoned out again. Hannah had pressed herself to his side, and her fingers twined with his.  _ So warm.  _ A delicate, sweet smell in the air around her ignited a tingling sensation over his skin. His stomach swooped with a glance at their reflection in the glass. Couple-like, but not. Reality felt slow, his body not his own. He regarded her tenderly. She worried her lip with her teeth and couldn’t seem to settle on what to look at. He ran his thumb over her wrist,turned to face her and held her gaze. 

“Alec?”

He shook his head and pulled away as her previous question finally made its way through the honey-thick haze of his mind.

“Uh, Miller’s been following up on leads there. Learnt that you were marked for - you know.” 

Her hand flew to her mouth with a gasp. “Ganvek.”

“Yeah. Uh…him.” He squinted and pinched the bridge of his nose, still somewhat dizzy. 

“But, he’s one of my regulars. I’m so careful; how could he know?”

The transport pod came to an abrupt stop. They braced themselves, and stared agape as the yellow malfunction light flashed. 

_ “Attention: Transport Pod 26 from Sector Three to the inner ring is experiencing technical difficulties. A response team has been alerted. Please do not be alarmed. All life-sustaining systems are operating normally. In the meantime, please refrain from using comm devices and enjoy the peaceful view of Earth below.” _

Hardy used his wrist comm to alert Miller of their situation, but all he could hear was static. He imagined the entire station launching into lockdown mode, each hatch closing off the sectors one-by-one to isolate a threat. He hoped to avoid such a strategy, especially with so many people out celebrating the holiday. 

“Fuck.”

Hannah tightened her grip on his arm, and buried her face into his shoulder. “I’ve had nightmares about this.”

“I know,” he said. 

He’d comforted her once after a particularly disturbing nightmare involving being trapped in a transport pod as it floated away from Earth forever. He looked down at the crown of her head, remembering how it felt to hold her. His breath stirred her hair, and he ached to place a kiss atop the soft strands, but he held fast. 

His thoughts did not. They raced on out of his control, invigorated by her proximity. Fantasies of unzipping her gown, of pushing her against the glass and grazing his teeth along her bare neck. He could almost taste her skin on his lips and feel her arse pressing against his cock. A wave of dizziness came over him, and reality flickered in briefly with the flash of the yellow warning light and another, repeat, announcement. He inhaled Hannah’s scent, and struggled not to groan as he fell back into whatever trance had come over him. 

_ Go on, have a taste of her. She’s so close, all you want to do is kiss her hair. Think of all the things that could happen after that. She’s wanted it, you’ve wanted it. She’d moan your name with a shudder to feel you. And it’d feel so good, so hot, that you’d shake to keep from coming apart with the first thrust.  _

He almost gave in to that voice--a voice that was his own and also not. His eyes drifted shut, and he inhaled the sweet smell again.

The pod jolted to life, and he snapped out of from the trance with a start. Hannah hadn’t seemed to notice his apparent descent into madness, for which he was immensely grateful.  __ The pod reached the main sphere terminal, and they made a break for the checkpoint kiosk. Again, he flashed his badge and they bypassed the waiting queue. Hardy’s head cleared further once they reached the open air, and it was about that time that he realized he’d become more than a bit aroused. Hannah paused to slide on her shoes, giving him a moment to let the blood return to its proper places.

They resumed their path to the precinct when his wrist comm vibrated with a message from Miller.  _ They’d hacked in to sabotage the pod, but we sorted it out. Main suspect is in custody, but we have a feeling he wasn’t alone.  _

Hardy replied:  _ I’m heading to the station with Miss Baxter now to put her in protective custody. _

Trouble was, the precinct was on the opposite side of the bloody park. At least he knew the short route. Hannah’s pursuers wouldn’t be stupid enough to ambush them in the park with people everywhere and Earthport guards stationed throughout waiting to arrest them, so they slowed to a brisk walk. 

Hannah slipped her arm through his to keep up with his pace. Her hair fanned out, and bounced around her shoulders, wafting more of that sweet smell toward him. His mind went fuzzy, and the insatiable need to kiss her returned. God, if he could just taste her, all of her. His pulse thrummed in his ears, and warmth pooled in his groin. He imagined kissing her breasts until her nipples pebbled, so he could tease them with the tip of his tongue. Would she gasp, or giggle, or arch up to him? If he buried his face between her legs, would she be slick and eager for him? 

_ Look at her. _ He did.  _ Her lips.  _ They were pursed, serious. He'd kissed them so many times in his dreams. There was just enough left of his sanity, thanks to a shifting breeze, that he had the wherewithal not to pull her into the elf village nearby where they could hide in one of the festive huts. Instead, he changed their course and began to head for his flat. Thoroughly distracted, he almost slipped on a patch of ice, but her steady footing kept him from falling over.

“All right, Alec?” She held him firmly by his forearms.

“Fine,” he muttered. His hands had found purchase on her hips - or so he thought. Bloody fur coat. Over her shoulder, he noticed that there were quite a few people staring at them. No. At  _ her _ . Some had even stopped what they were doing to move closer. He glared at them, and was struck with the biggest dizzy spell yet. He swayed, and at last her face came into perfect view before him.

“You sure about that?” she said softly.

“I think…” He blinked hard. She touched his cheek with her bare hand, brushed her fingertip along his scruff. He leant into it to kiss her palm without thinking. The lovely scent was concentrated at her wrist, and he lost himself to it.  Every thought he’d ever had about her swirled to the surface. Rapid fire, his mind replayed every accidental touch, every coy attempt of hers to entice him to her bed, every measured gaze she’d given him when he loosened his tie. 

_ Her hand wrapped around your cock, followed by those plump lips. That igloo over there would be the perfect place for it. Her eyes locked with yours. _

He sensed his body tipping towards her. His throat had gone dry and his entire body ached. The pleasant tingles he’d felt before intensified, radiating from where she’d touched his face. He needed more of that, more of her all around him. His trousers had become far too tight, and he pulled her hips against his. The contact relieved some of the mounting pressure, but her coat was far too thick. 

“Hey!” 

He’d been shoved, but not too hard. Blinking, Hardy stared around at the snowdrifts and boughs of evergreen. Sharp cold air stung his cheeks, and his mind grappled to regain control over his body. 

“What--what did I…” He gasped for air and braced himself on a nearby tree. 

Hannah stood a few steps away, brow furrowed. She’d pulled her fur coat up tightly around her neck. Snowflakes sparkled on her hair and shoulders, and her cheeks were pink from the cold air. 

“You just tried to feel me up,” she paused for emphasis, “with your dick.”

“ _ What?! _ ” His voice reached a pitch so high it startled a bird from its branch overhead.

“And last time I checked, the precinct was that way.” She pointed somewhere over his shoulder. 

“No…” Hardy paled further. The pit in his stomach widened and he couldn’t make eye contact. “I’m sorry. Something is... I--I’ve no idea what came over me.” 

“Perfume,” Hannah said, the words emerging from her lips in a cloud of icy air. 

“Pardon?” 

“You said Ellie learnt I’d been targeted while at the market sector earlier. I’d stopped by a perfumery that I don’t recall being there before. The woman inside was like some kind of mystic. Able to look at you and just know the perfect mixture of scents. I went for it, but she said something strange. Said it’d make me irresistible, and to be sure to have it on tonight. You just smelled my wrist and next thing I know you’re,” she gestured in his general direction, “happy to see me.”

“I’ll... have it analysed,” he said meekly.

Hannah’s eyes swam with what he hoped was sympathy. Belatedly, he noticed a figure break away from a lamp post, and head towards them, always keeping to the shadows. 

Hardy looked from the suspicious figure, then noticed another one closing in. He stood up straighter and reached for her arm. “We’ve got company,” he said under his breath.

Hannah took his arm and gave a pointed glance to his still-tented trousers. “Just keep that thing to yourself till I can wash up.”

He turned crimson and coughed, but her proximity reignited the residual effects of the perfume. His agitation and embarrassment eased, replaced quite suddenly by how very much he’d love to press her against the tree and stroke her to fire with his fingertips.  

He ground his teeth against the need, trying to keep it at bay, scrambling for purchase on his sanity. The guard ahead signalled to the two figures, and that meant something dire, he was sure of it. Hannah grasped his hand and said something, but he couldn’t understand it. The longer he fought against the effects of the perfume, the more disoriented he became.

There was a sound that part of his brain knew meant they were in danger, then the world fell away.

 

_ to be continued... _

 

_ _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trope: close quarters
> 
> Beta: foxmoon (but I added some things after, so all mistakes are mine)

 “We’ve got company,” Hardy said under his breath.

She took his arm— a mistake judging by his tenting trousers. “Just keep that thing to yourself till I can wash up.”

 She looked over her shoulder, searching for whoever Hardy had seen. There, behind a reindeer droid: Phedrus, her client’s bodyguard. He was always nice to her when he visited but now his three eyes gleamed with a primal sort of excitement. A predator on the hunt. The kind of predator specialized in illegal particle-beam weapons.

“They’re armed,” she whispered, clutching Hardy’s hand. “What do we do?”

But Hardy was useless, putting one foot in front of the other seemed to require all his mental energy. She steered him towards a more crowded area where citizens had gathered around a colourful and sparkling elf village. Surely, their pursuers wouldn’t open fire in a public space.

 

She was wrong.

 

Gun shots erupted. Hannah screamed and covered her ears. Citizens shouted and ran amok. Taking advantage of the confusion, she scampered off, dragging Hardy along, towards the decorative village. She stepped over the fence and ducked behind a cardboard candy house. Soft snow broke her fall, but Hardy landed on top of her. She pushed against his shoulders, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Hardy? Hardy!”

She grabbed his chin to look into his eyes, his pupils were blown wide.

“Christ, you’re high as a satellite,” she muttered

 His weight and a wave of panic suffocated her. She squirmed to free herself and he moaned. Another gunshot followed by shouts in Stromstan. They were getting closer. There was no running from them now. She and Hardy had to hide.

Now.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, before yanking his head back by the hair to shove a handful of snow all over his face.

Hardy sputtered and snapped out of his daze, swearing like a Nordkapp marine. He sat on his haunches, back to the tiny house.

“What do we do?” she urged.

“The guards are in on it. The sector’s lockdown sequence will begin soon. We need to hide until backup arrives.”

He was still hard, she noticed, the perfume would disturb him again soon.

 

Hannah scanned their surrounding and noticed a fake igloo. Perhaps they could hide inside, it seemed just big enough. She pointed it to Hardy, and he nodded. He glanced over the candy house’s roof.

“I can’t see them.”

The park had gone eerily calm-- citizens had fled the area. Hannah broke off a plastic icicle and threw it as far as she could in the opposite direction.

“There!” a man said.

Another gunshot. Hardy and Hannah scampered off the other way on their hands and knees. They reached the igloo and crawled through its entrance, shutting a tiny door behind them. Hannah held her breath, listening intently: loud footsteps and muted conversation. He heart hammered in her chest. She reached for Hardy’s hand again. He was the only person she’d ever felt safe with, but his eyes glazed over again, and distrust settled in the pit of her stomach. She sat as far from him as she could, which wasn’t much. A generator took most of the place inside the igloo, it powered the elf village’s lights. Hardy and Hannah had to sit facing each other with their legs bent at the knees. A little light filtered through the Styrofoam walls, they would see the silhouette of anyone passing by.

 

Hardy was breathing heavily through clenched teeth, almost as loud as the generator’s rumble. He squeezed his eyes shut with a groan.

“Does it help not to see me?” she whispered.

“Nope.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault. Miller warned me.”

“How d’you mean?”

“That it might be a trap. I couldn’t risk it.”

“You did risk it.”

He shook his head. “I couldn’t risk them hurting you.”

He finally opened his eyes and looked into hers. She felt her heart melt for him, for his selfless courage. Without thinking, she shifted towards him, but he breathed in at the same and his eyes lit up with a feral heat. Hannah backed away.

“How long do we have to hide?” she asked, careful to keep her voice low.

He shook his head as if to clear it. “Until backup arrives”

“Will they know how to find us?”

Using his wrist comm, he contacted a colleague to disclose their hiding location. They were busy securing the area and getting all civilians out of harm's way so it might take a while. He knocked his head back against the Styrofoam bricks with a heavy sigh.

 

The igloo wasn’t made to be habitable, no ventilation meant the aphrodisiac would soon permeate the air. Hardy gripped his trousers with white-knuckle fists. Hannah decided to crack open the door, he needed fresh air and she needed to know what was going on out there. The silence could mean two things: 1) their pursuers had left or 2) they were silently closing in on them. Either way they had to do something.

She pulled on the door but it didn’t budge. She tried pushing with her hands, her shoulder, her feet, to no avail. They were trapped inside a fake igloo in a winter simulation and the only man she could ever count on was out of his mind with arousal. She tried to distract him by stirring the conversation towards unsexy subjects such as intergalactic politics and garbage disposal problems on Mars, but he struggled to even listen.

 

The air grew stale and heavy. The generator radiated heat so the temperature kept rising. Hannah felt like she was boiling inside her coat. She tugged at her collar and popped opened the first button. She gathered her curls on top of her head and fanned herself. A bead of sweat travelled from her temple to her jaw, and Hardy’s eyes stalked its trajectory down her neck and collarbone.

Countless times during their collaboration she’d wished he would look at her this way. Sometimes she’d catch a glimpse of something wistful in his eyes, usually after he’d zipped up her dress (a poor excuse for physical contact). But she didn’t let herself entertain hope. They lived on different sides of Earthport Alpha.

But the way he was gazing at her now, heavy-lidded and licking his lips, she could almost believe it wasn’t just the perfume’s effect.

She realized the heat she felt didn’t come just from around her, but from inside her as well. She was affected too. Not by the perfume but by their proximity and the sheer want painted on his face. And there came an unanticipated problem: a persistent throbbing between her own thighs. She imagined herself, crawling over to him and straddling his legs. Her eyes drifted over the obscene bulge in his trousers, and she imagined unfastening them and sliding down his cock.

She threw her head back with a groan of her own. She couldn’t. It would be taking advantage. If there was even the slightest chance of… something between them, she didn’t want to ruin it. Not to mention that their lives were in danger right now. Yet it seemed secondary to the slickness of her knickers. She pressed her thighs together and so did Hardy. They exchanged a pained glance.

“Take off your bloody coat. Your sweat makes it worse,” he said, wiping his forehead on his sleeve.

“I can’t—”

“I don’t care!”

His shout frightened her. He had never yelled at her before. She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Fine. See if you care when you see what’s underneath.”

With angry, jerky movements, she removed her coat. Hardy’s jaw dropped: she wore nothing but red velvet lingerie trimmed with white fur. A whimper escaped his throat. He ogled her cleavage— it’s nothing he’d never seen before but he usually averted his eyes— and even pressed a palm to his crotch.

She immediately regretted making things worse for him. He was obviously trying so hard to hold off.

He shifted to his knees and placed his burning palm on her ankle, stroking her skin with his thumb. A feverish shiver ran up her spine.

“You’re so beautiful. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

She hoped he didn’t mean just now. She wanted to tell him to give in, to kiss her and shag her senseless. But even with her consent, she knew he’d hate himself for it.

“What if you, er… touched yourself?” she suggested. “D’you think that would help? I promise I won’t look.”

Hardy swallowed thickly. “Might make it worse.”

His hand travelled higher up to her knee, and she parted her legs. His eyes turned darker, igniting lascivious sparks in her.

 

Hannah was dimly aware that she should stop him for all the previously stated reasons that evaded her right now.

“Maybe I could… help you out?”

She placed her hand on his thigh and that touch alone made him moan.

“It’s wrong,” he gritted through clenched teeth.

“Not if I want to.”

His lips parted in a way that made her want to bite on the bottom one.

“I’ve wanted to since—” A loud thud came from outside. Hannah startled. “What was that?” she whispered.

Hardy didn’t react. His eyes remained intent on her, dark and glossy. He licked his lips. Loud footsteps echoed around the igloo. Fear clutched her gut. She gripped Hardy’s hand to stop its wandering, but he fought her hold.

“Listen!” she hissed.

She could hear a conversation but couldn’t make out the words. Lights flashed outside. She freed his hand and cupped his cheeks instead, pleading with her eyes to get through to him.

“Alec, please.”

He blinked.

“Earthport police!” someone shouted outside.

Hannah heaved a sigh of relief. “We’re here!” She banged on the foam wall.

 

The stuck door jiggled, tools clanked and it finally opened. Fresh air wafted in and Hardy gulped it as he quickly crawled out.

 

Hannah made sure to put her coat back on, buttoning it up to her neck before following him out of the igloo-- she wasn’t about to give them a free show, even if she was grateful for the rescue.

Two officers and DS Miller awaited them outside.Their faces bore decidedly amused looks: DI Hardy stuck in a fake igloo with a call girl wearing an aphrodisiac perfume — the anecdote would outlive him.

“The perfume was a weapon,” he muttered, “they knew I would try to protect her.”

They had the decency to look sheepish. That is until an officer pointed out the way Hardy held his jacket in front of his crotch, and they all burst out laughing. However, their smirks turned to lustful looks when Hannah approached their group. One by one, they turned to her, smelling her perfume. She immediately backtracked, and Hardy stopped them from following her.

 

“No arrests?” Hardy asked.

He didn’t get an answer and had to snap his fingers in front of DS Miller’s face to get her attention.

“Er, only two traitorous guards, sir. No one involved directly with the Eridanis.They probably scattered when lockdown sequence was initiated.”

“We have to find them.”

“Of course, sir. We think the Eridani Syndicate want to take advantage of the increased transit during the holiday to smuggle drugs. I have men keeping watch at the docks.”

Obviously glad to be back in charge, Hardy fired instructions at the detective sergeant and officers.

 

“What about me?” Hannah asked.

“We believe they’re on a… elimination spree,” Ellie said.

Hardy pressed his lips in a thin line, his fists clenched, and he wouldn’t look at her.

“Get an officer to escort Ms. Baxter somewhere safe. Somewhere she can wash.”

“No. You do it.”

It wasn’t fair of her to ask, not when his team needed him. But if her life was at risk, she preferred an intoxicated Hardy over anyone else— he’d shown the utmost restraint in the igloo, but most of all, she knew the Eridani Syndicate’s influence reached even members of Earthport PD.

 

Hardy bit the inside of his cheek, at war with himself. He scanned the park and the people drifting towards Hannah, and seemed to draw the same conclusion as her.

“We’ll take the hoverbike. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

 

Hannah hopped behind him on the seat of the flying scooter and loosely encircled his waist. He leaned back against her with a sigh, and she resisted the temptation to hug him closer. He got a hold of himself and, despite a rocky takeoff, once airborne, the wind blew the aphrodisiac perfume away from his nose and the ride went smoothly. Although not out of danger yet, Hannah rested her cheek against his shoulder and closed her eyes, allowing herself a moment of respite.

 

Hardy drove them out of sector Zero into the financial sector, always making sure they weren’t followed. They landed on a platform in front of a pod, the kind businessmen rent by the hour for meetings of all kind or a kip between transactions. On a screen by the door, Hardy swiped his credit stick and selected the basic bedroom program.

 

The room was little more than a white cube with the bare necessities: single bed, food replicator and droid maintenance unit. On the far wall, a large window displayed a buzzing city of interconnected skyscrapers. Their pod floated above like an olden-days zeppelin.

 

Hannah headed straight to the washing module, but paused before sliding the panel.

“Thanks for saving me.”

He scoffed. “You did all the work.”

Did he feel like he’d failed because he’d been affected by the perfume? Longing to comfort him, she took a step forward, but he stepped back.

“Go wash up.”

“Don’t leave, all right?”

“Sure. I’ll find you some clean clothes. And, Hannah… thank you.”

 

She smiled at him then entered the module. She discarded her clothes at her feet, they needed to be washed too. Jets of water-like nanoparticles scrubbed her body free of dirt, dead cells and chemicals.

In her mind, she replayed the events of today: fleeing, getting shot at, being trapped and all the fear. She realized her teeth were clattering, and she turned up the temperature dial. Her legs gave out and she slid down the shower wall.  She could have died today. She was still alive, but those who wanted her dead were still out there. The only way to remain alive was to disappear.

Leave everything behind.

Leave everyone behind.

There was one last thing she needed to do before going.

 

Hannah grabbed a towel and exited the washroom, hoping Hardy hadn’t left. In the dark room, she found him silhouetted against the panoramic window, hands in pockets, looking out at the drifting holographic snowflakes. Bright billboards bathed the room in blue and purple hues. She stepped next to him, but rather than admire the vista, she looked at his reflection on the glass.

 

When she decided to break the silence, her voice came out low and brittle: “I can’t go back to my flat, can I?”

“We have to get you somewhere safe.”

“Somewhere off Earthport?”

His features hardened in a grim mask. “It’s the only option.”

Hannah’s stomach dropped even though he’d confirmed what she already knew.

“Will I ever see you again?” she asked.

When he didn’t answer, she placed a hand on his shoulder, coaxing him to face her.

“You’ll be rid of me,” he answered with a self-deprecating chuckle.

“I’ll miss you.”

He searched her face, and she tried to communicate her honesty, but it was difficult to open up when she didn’t know if he reciprocated her feelings. He took a step closer and brushed his fingertips down her arms to the back of her hands. Their index fingers hooked together.

“Are you sure you washed it all away?” he asked.

“Yeah… are you still…?”

“There must be particles stuck in my lungs or something.”

“D’you think, maybe, it’s not just the perfume?”

He looked down at his feet and nodded. Such a slight movement, she almost missed it. He twined their fingers together, and Hannah let out a soft chuckle.

“In the igloo,” he began, “you said something about wanting…”

“You.”

She smiled and so did he, with something incredulous in his eyes.

“And you said you couldn’t stop thinking about me.”

He took a deep breath. “Not since we first met.”

 

Hardy cradled her face in his palms, thumbs caressing her cheekbones in a way that made her feel adored and safe as though she could curl up in his hands. Hannah rested her forehead against his, basking in this feeling.

 

“Han, I…” He sighed. “I’ll miss you too.”

His soft spoken words wrapped around her heart, and a lump rose in her throat. She clenched his shirt in her fists.

“Kiss me.”

He dragged a thumb along her bottom lip, and her mouth parted with a quivering breath. He swallowed thickly and dipped his head. They shared a gasp. Time stopped, suspended.  And his lips pressed gently to hers. She pulled him closer by his shirt. Their hips collided. His hands glided through her hair, tugging her head back to deepen the kiss. Fervent and hungry.

Hardy jerked away, surprised by his own boldness. Out of breath, he apologized.

“Don’t— don’t stop.”

Hannah yanked on his belt loops to pull him back to her. He backed her against the window, hands on each side of her face. And there was that look in his eyes, lustful and affectionate all, the look she’d hoped for, the one that made her weak-kneed. And this time it wasn’t caused by chemicals. He claimed her mouth again, confident, ravenous. Hannah’s earlier arousal came back in full force, rushing through her blood, pulsing in her ears.

Hardy trailed his lips down her neck and collarbone. He groaned at the towel in his way and pushed it off her to seek her breasts. Hannah unfastened his trousers. She liked the weight of him in her palm. He cursed against her neck, rutting in her fist. His eager fingers found her center, gliding through her wet folds. She stifled her moans against his shoulder, biting through his shirt. Condensation built between her feverish skin and the cool glass.

“In. Now,” she panted.

He raised her leg over the crook of his arm and pushed in her. Once connected, they stilled. Ragged breaths mingled between them as their eyes met. Their chests heaved in sync.

“Fuck,” he breathed out.

They chuckled and kissed. A roll of her hips and he started moving in and out of her. Careful thrusts. Measured. As though he didn’t trust himself.  

“Let go,” she whispered.

He stilled and his nails dug in the flesh of her thigh. The next second, he hiked her other leg over his hip and pounded into her. The wet slapping sound of their skin barely covered their groans. Hannah held on to him, crying in pleasure.

He was wound too tight, all that repressed arousal, he wouldn’t last long. She didn’t care. This man, always so right and stiff, she wanted to feel him come undone. May she never forget the way he moaned her name, hot breath in the crook of her neck. Tenderness in an act of wildness.

He shifted his hips, a new angle that made him rub that spot in her, and she raked her nails down his back. He stumbled to the bed. Encouraged by her needy whimpers, he chased his own release, until he came with a deep grunt. She wrapped her legs around his waist, keeping him there while she brought herself over the edge before he’d even gone entirely soft.

 

They remained silent, legs entwined, arms wound tightly around each other. She tried to commit to memory every detail of his body down to the pattern of freckles on his shoulder. She kissed every spot of skin within her reach as his hands drifted lazily over her. As he nuzzled her neck, she felt him harden against her thigh.

“Definitely not just the perfume,” he admitted.

The second time was unhurried. A patient kindling. They relished in the closeness. Dovetailed bodies and whispered devotion. Sweat and secrets and tingling kisses down her spine. The kind of ecstasy that lasts long after climax.

 

With dawn, reality came back and with it a tight knot in her stomach.

“Hardy, I can’t…”

He propped himself up on his elbow to look down at her, a worried frown on his brow.

“I can’t leave you,” she said. “Come with me to Earth. Or Lunaport. Anywhere, I don’t care, just— just come with me.”

“My job…”

“You can find another job, they have policemen on every station.”

“I know. And the men who are after you, they know that too. You can go anywhere untracked, I can’t.”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I understand,” she replied, defeated.

She tried to move away from him, but he tugged her close.

“Can you wait?” he asked.

“Wait for what?”

“For the dust to settle. For my team to catch those bastards. For me.”

She chuckled and teared up all at once. “Yes. Come after me, Alec Hardy.”

 


End file.
